Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Life, Death, and Hope in A Mumbai Undercity

Annawadi is a settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport, and as India starts to prosper, Annawadians are filled with hope. Abdul, a reflective and enterprising Muslim teenager, sees b3sa fortune beyond countingb4 sin the recyclable garbage that richer people throw away. But then Abdul is falsely accused in a shocking tragedy; terror and a global recession rock the city; and suppressed tensions over religion, caste, sex, power and economic envy turn brutal.

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Well written and shocking to hear this true story of the underbelly of India. The author is a journalist who lived in the one of the largest slums with the dwellers to write it over a period of 3 or 4 years. The rule of law is NOT the rule of law in places like India and much of the world.
Characters are so interesting, poverty certainly doesn't limit their life experience.
They are so resourceful and I applaud them.

The reading of this book is exceptionally good! Accents are imputed to various individuals and the narrated parts are given inflections and tones that are just right. The work itself can make one angry, despondent, helpless, fascinated (in a way), and inspires all of the virtuous feelings and grants a clearer visions of both evil in the world and noble ends (justice).

I would have sworn I was listening to a novel as I followed the saga of Abdul, a “trash-picker”, and his neighbors–all of whom live in Annawadi, a slum that sits right next to the airport in Mumbai, India. But there really is an Abdul, and there really was a one-legged woman named Fatima that lived next door to him. The bare facts of their life stories–a conflict that leads to a fiery death and an unjust imprisonment–are compelling enough. But the way the story is told–with vivid descriptions of the events and thoughts of the people involved, and with their own words–brings it to life in a way that usually only seems to happen in novels.

But this isn’t fiction, it’s real, and falling in love with the characters and wanting them to succeed in finding “the full enjoy” of life comes with a price. That price is seeing how the cruel realities of life often interfere with hopes and dreams. Even Manju, the best and brightest of Annawadi’s teenagers, faces maddening obstacles as she strives to become the first Annawadian to graduate from college. She teaches the children of the slum rudimentary classes in English–but some of those children will fall prey to disease, drugs, hunger, or the violence of the street and never make it to adulthood, much less to a life outside of the slum. And all the while, the presence of the hotel and nearby airport are felt acutely by the residents, who not only take advantage of the refuse that they leave behind but also observe lavish parties and feel threatened by a possible airport expansion that could leave them without even the Annawadi slum to call home.

I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in the human condition. It is a powerful read that will inform you of the social realities of our modern world–but it will feel like you are doing nothing more than reading a novel at times. If you listen to the audiobook version like I did you also to hear it wonderfully narrated by Sunil Malhotra who does a wonderful job giving each person a distinctive and fitting voice (not to mention effortlessly saying all of those Indian words that I would trip over). Another bonus is an interview with the author on the last CD in which you get to hear more about how she conducted the extensive research it took for her to write this moving story. This would also be an excellent choice for book discussion groups who could discuss how it gives us insight on our modern world and how reading about the various struggles of the people profiled affected them.

I was so excited to read this book after reading so many great reviews. But to be honest, I found the book unimpressive. Written by a British author who vulnerably exploits the slum she "interviews" and "lives with" for a short period of time. The end of the book has a brief excerpt where the author expresses her interest in writing this book after marrying an Indian man... It makes me sad that someone is making money off exploiting communities like this. Perhaps all the profit from this book should go towards helping upward mobility of these communities. But I have yet to hear of this author doing such.

A beautifully written book that vividly depicts life in a Mumbai slum. I would definitely recommend the audiobook- the narrator is excellent and the author speaks at the end about her incredible experience in researching for the book.

This is a sobering read about poverty and humanity in Annawadi, a slum in Mumbai. This book is part of the required reading in many Johnson County Community College Composition classes. Sunil Malhotra does an excellent job narrating this audiobook.

A very good book. I think it would have been better to read than listen to as an audiobook

christyspencer
Jun 01, 2012

A painful but accurate portrayal of slum-life. This book is an excellent window into the culture, reality and needs of the people. She makes no attempt to provide solutions, sway the audience or romanticize anything. Her epilogue is insightful and I appreciate her integrity in careful and unbiased research.

Cdnbookworm
Apr 15, 2012

This nonfiction book is a tale of the lives of the residents of a Mumbai slum, Annawadi, located near the Mumbai airport and near luxury hotels. Boo was inspired to tell about life in the slums after marrying a man from India. She picked Annawadi because of its size, one small enough to go around and talk to all the residents. Her research took three years and the lives of many of the residents change significantly during that time. We see the struggle to survive, the daily living conditions, the jealousies and rivalries, the corruption both between residents and at police and government levels. Money equals prosperity and everyone is trying to get ahead, and get a better life. Some use substances that help them escape from their lives, and some take it out on their families. Boo spends a lot of time here describing two families.
One is a Muslim family, where the father has health issues that force the oldest boy, Abdul into the role of family provider. The situation also forces the mother into a less subservient role that is typical of Muslim women. The family recycles garbage, paying other garbage collectors by weight for their gatherings. When a fight with a neighbour women results in drastic actions by the women, the family's creep upward is stalled and reversed.
The other Hindi family also has a strong women at the head, Asha. Asha sets her sights on politics, with the first step gaining the status of slumlord for Annawadi. She curries favors, accepts and pays bribes, settles disputes and makes enough to send her daughter to college.
An ongoing story that brings the existence of the lowest class in India to light and shows how the system doesn't work for them, and how they are viewed by those above.
Fascinating and heartrending.